High praise

Sir,—Much as I have grown to admire your critical page, probably—I can think of no present rival—the most literate in the country, much as I approve of AMB's notice of the refurbished Lovely War (more I can hardly say, since I was a member of the original cast) there is one point I must take up with him. He observes that at St. James's Theatre, the slides Average Life Of A Machine Gunner Under Attack . . . Four Minutes elicited amiable laughter and he states that this did not happen in November. 1965. at the Paramount. Alas, it did, 27 times in 29 performances; your critic must have attended one of the two exceptions. I particularly remember this, since Tim Eliott and I, awaiting entrances, exchanged glances of stupefaction for the first week, after that of resignation. Thus when, on two nights, there was the stunned silence we had always thought appropriate, we were pretty stunned ourselves.

Bruce Mason.